To Write Love On Her Arms (COMPLETE!:)

Chapter 5

It was a few weeks later Ethan and I lay stretched out on the floor in his bedroom.Neither of us felt like working on homework but because I’d never just hung out with anybody, even Ethan, I wasn’t sure what to do.

“You know, we should probably get started on our homework,” I said, rolling over on my side.

“Seriously? Come on, Case,” he said, using his new nickname for me, “you’ve been coming over to my house for what? Four, five weeks now? Do we always have to study? Why can’t we take a break?”

Ethan rolled over on his side to face me. “Besides, people are noticing us hanging out. Why not just admit we’re friends and hang out like friends instead of just study partners?”

I knew he was right. People were starting to look at us during classes and at lunch and even in the hallways when he insisted on walking me to class. He’d somehow managed to weave himself inside the first line of my defenses and I liked the idea of calling Ethan my friend. But I couldn’t help cling to my reluctance.

I’d spent most of my life trying to avoid people and old habits die hard.

Maybe that’s why he was right…

“Well, what do you say?” Ethan asked, propping himself up on his elbow and holding his hand out to me, “friends?”

I stared at his hand for a minute before finally nodding and extending my hand out to his. “Friends,” I agreed and we shook. Our hands stayed connected for several long moments before we let go.

“So now what do you wanna do?” Ethan asked.

I considered for a moment before resting my head on my arm. “What was your life like back in the city?” I asked, curious. I’d grown up in Alabama all my life and I’d never been outside this little town.

One day, though, I hoped…

“Why do you wanna know that?” Ethan asked, sitting up and stretching. He wasn’t wearing his letterman jacket and my eyes instantly zoned in on the way the muscles in his arms flexed.

I’d never been one to pay attention to the way a guy’s muscles rippled when he moved but whoa…

Nice. Very nice.

“Case?”

I blinked, his voice bringing me out of my stupor. “Um…”

Think, Casen, think. You have a damn brain. Use it.

I shook my head. “Huh?” was all I managed stupidly.

“Why do you wanna know what my life in the city was like?” he repeated, laughing.

“Oh…I don’t know…Just curious I guess…” I mumbled, “I mean, I’ve never been anywhere outside of Evanston…”

He nodded. “Well, alright then.” He got to his feet and walked over to his closet. He slid the door back before reaching up to pull out a box from the top shelf. He placed it down beside me and sat down next to it.

“Well, here it is,” he said, “old yearbooks and pictures from my life in the city.”

I reached inside to pull out a stack of pictures. Some were old; some were new but all of them contained Ethan with other people. There were pictures of Ethan playing different games with his friends, parties, family events. There was one of Ethan with a friend and an older man, all of them grinning wide and holding up massive fish.

Ethan laughed when he saw it. “That was taken about two summers ago when Brian and his dad invited me to go fishing with them. God, that was a funny trip. Brian loves fishing, but he doesn’t have the patience for it. Took him forever to catch that fish.”